Now, how does a company go about cutting down data expenses? Here are a few tips that might help you!

1. Monitor Data Usage

Although businesses have created new work practices to adapt to this technology boom, they have yet to really track how, when, why, and by whom data is being used. If you haven’t put a plan in place to track these questions, you really should start. As much as people are using data now, mobile data usage is only going to increase even more quickly. Note that:

Mobile usage is expected to grow 20-fold between 2014 and 2017 (MobiForge)

Now, why this rapid rise in data usage? Well, people seem to have really moved to more text-based communication. Many use (and seem to prefer) Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) instead of voice calls. Beyond that, people are using more and more apps that consume data.

Managers have to take this new style of interaction into account when they track how data is being used and plan budgets going forward. Enterprise data usage is going to go up, so new contracts will have to reflect this.

2. Monitor Roaming Usage

Roaming occurs when a phone’s data is used outside of the carrier’s covered location, and it costs a lot. Unfortunately for businesses, roaming charges are sometimes (and are often) inevitable as employees often have to travel for work. Here are some interesting statistics on roaming which may open your eyes:

37% of companies surveyed spend over $1,000 per month per user on roaming costs

Some companies try to reduce or cut these charges by disabling data roaming for employees. This isn’t a good idea because it can impede productivity. Data access allows on-the-road employees to work out of the office when they have to do so.

A better option is to set up roaming filters that can block non-business apps such as social networks and reduce video and image download sizes, or even set a limit on allowed data usage per day.

3. Don’t Ignore the Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) Trend

Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) is a growing trend in which employees bring in and use their personal devices at work. While this might save money upfront (because you’re not buying new equipment), it can end up costing you more money over the medium and long term because it’s very hard to manage costs. After all, if you don’t own a device, it’s going to be a challenge to see how it’s being used.

Some companies tackle this issue in a range of ways. There are those who offer employees a phone budget, while others offer partial payment of phone bills. Still others don’t pay at all. On the other end of the spectrum, a study by iPass found that 57% of its surveyed employees had employers who paid their smartphone bill in full. Not everyone can afford that, especially as usage goes up.

4. Be Flexible: Make Use of Managed Services

Luckily, there are services which support companies throughout the mobile lifecycle. Such services:

Transfer the complex task of managing mobile usage to experts dedicated only to this task.

Manage the complete lifecycle and costs of mobile products from purchase to end-of-life.

Provide cost savings through economies of scale.

How Do We Fit In?

Fortunately for you, all of this is conveniently possible with Cimpl. We’re Canada’s leader in IT and telecom expense management and are proud of it. Our Solution provide businesses with innovative IT management and help them track assets from start to finish. Don’t want to keep track of it all by yourself and want to focus on what you do best? We also offer professional managed services with a team of experts who will help you make the best of your time.

Henry is a dedicated technical writer, focused on conducting market research, contributing to product design, and writing clear and concise documentation for the company. He is an enthusiastic team member and is passionate about science and technology, who plays a key role in Cimpl’s product messaging. His dedication to writing is reflected in his experience in authoring academic papers, documentation, user guides, and in contributing to Cimpl’s marketing efforts.

About Us

Cimpl is leading the revolution in telecom, IT and cloud expense management. Its software-as-a-service platform brings together actionable data analytics and automates business processes to ensure optimal ROI on technology assets.